Merrill Threshing Bee

Old-time farming techniques were demonstrated Sunday afternoon in a field on the south edge of Merrill as the old-time horse farming group gathered for a threshing bee. Here volunteers fork bundles of cut oats into the threshing machine, where the oats are separated from the straw. At right is the stream of oats flowing into a wagon.

It was a hot Sunday afternoon as these men made their way across the oats field, gathering shocks of oats onto a wagon pulled by a team of Belgian horses with John Conley holding the reins. The scene is reminiscent of farming of yesteryear.

John Conley drives the wagon through the field as volunteers fork shocks of oats onto the wagon for threshing.

Dean Davison stands watch over his threshing machine during Sunday afternoon's threshing bee in a field on the south edge of Merrill. The draft horse farming group, along with volunteers, finished the threshing in about five hours.

Many hands help to pitch bundles into the threshing machine where the oats is separated from the straw. The Sunday afternoon threshing bee was put on by area horse-farming enthusiasts and held at Merrill. The bee was to be held during Merrill's Pioneer Days but the straw was not dry enough to put through the threshing machine at that time.

Bonita Davison puts in her time pitching oat bundles into the threshing machine from the loaded wagon on a hot Sunday afternoon at a field on the south edge of Merrill.

Dan Davison keeps the hot sun at bay with a straw hat as he pitches oat bundles Sunday afternoon during the threshing bee on the south edge of Merrill. Teams of horses pulled bundle-fille wagons from the field.

Mike Luckel takes a moment to check on a team of Belgian horses during the threshing bee demonstration Sunday afternoon at Merrill. The four teams of horses were a Haflinger team owned by Erik Wagner; Shires owned by Mike Luckel; Belgians owned by Barb and Steve Gray of Sioux City, and Belgians owned by John and Barbara Conley of Merrill.

Ross Tentinger learns firsthand the hot, dusty work farmers did during the threshing season. The bundles of oats are pitched with forks into the threshing machine from a wagon.

Straw and oats seperated by the threshing machine are directed to a pile and wagon Sunday afternoon as the draft horse farming group held their threshing bee at Merrill. "It took us about five hours to get it done," said Barbara Conley. "We had volunteers helping, everyone worked hard." She noted the light breeze helped on the 90-degree plus day, and everyone took frequent breaks with plenty of water available.